


Leaving

by Particle



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 16:22:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1175207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Particle/pseuds/Particle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>what if kyle had a family before he left for alvarna</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leaving

"I do not know who I am or where I came from. I only know that I have been wandering, searching for…something. But this town… Could this place be what I've been looking for?"

\--

"Kyle, Kyle!" 

"Good morning, Aria! You slept late today!"

The small redheaded child jumped over budding crops and weaved through tall stalks in the field to make her way to her older brother. He had been working since sunrise, caring for the adolescent plants in the warm morning sun for a few hours now. Weeding, watering, fertilizing and pruning wasn't an easy job, he had gotten sweaty and thoroughly caked in dirt, but the child didn't seem to care. She jumped into his arms all the same, hugging his neck and telling him he smelled with a laugh.

Kyle held her in his lap on the ground, listening as she babbled about everything that had happened in the 15 minutes she had been awake and nodding along with the one-sided conversation. "It sounds like you've had quite the morning, but Aria," he frowned at her and with a disapproving scoff, "you didn't put on your shoes before coming outside."

She crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air, "I don't need shoes! I'm six whole years old, I'm tough!"

"Yeah, but I'm 21 and I still need shoes. What if you had stepped on a-- a bug!"

Aria shrieked in horror and slapped her hands against her face, shaking her head furiously, "Eeeww!! EwewewewewewewewewEW, KYLE! Gross!"

"Exactly! What if it was a cockroach? Or a spider? Or," he feigned a gasp, "a ladybug?!"

The child gasped with more sincerity, stopping her head shaking dead in its tracks with a look of horror, "Noooo! Kyle, not the ladybug!! What if I DID step on one?! We gotta make sure it's ok, c'mon, c'mon!!" She jumped up from his lap, grabbing on his arm and pulling desperately. He didn't budge much.

But he did laugh and give her shoulder a soft pat. "It's not ladybug season, Aria. They're all somewhere else with their families! You didn't step on any, I promise."

She let go of him and stomped her foot, "I can't believe you, Kyle! Liar!" She crossed her arms and plopped heavily back down onto his lap, to which he responded with an "oof!" And there she stayed until the farm work was done. Most mornings were like this. Kyle would work the farm for his ageing parents while they tended to the monster barn, and Aria would weasel her way into helping her brother out with the chores. Or, she called it helping, but she spent most of the time in his lap or hanging on his back while he talked about taking care of the plants. They liked it this way; Kyle loved his sister as much as she adored him. She didn't have the best attention span, most six year olds didn't, but she wanted to be just like him when she grew up. She loved watching the farm grow every season, and she especially loved the flowers. Kyle would help her grow some of her own every season, and every season she would get over excited and pick them all before their prime to give to her family. If they grew enough blossoms, she'd make bouquets and bracelets of them. Sometimes even crowns, but they were too big for her little hands and smaller attention span to finish. The family treasured them and had books of pressed flowers from her- books that she liked to show off to her friends as "the flowers she grew all by herself!" 

The years went by much like these mornings. Aria grew and started to take her lessons in farming more seriously, as well has her extravagant flower business. Kyle, on the other hand, had grown increasingly uneasy. It had been only two years, and while his sister excelled, he could feel himself faltering. The nights felt colder, plagued by dark nightmares of dragons and fire. At first, they were just vague dreams- he'd find himself in a large stone room that was empty, save for a few broken pillars and a large decorated wall. He couldn't tell if it was just a wall or if there was a door within the stone as well. But as time went on, the room would begin to shake. A loud and thundering roar would make the stone tremble in fear and knock him off his feet. Eventually, there was a dragon. A red monstrosity barring it's fangs like swords and wings that could stir a hurricane. The room was barely large enough to hold the beast, and with every passing dream it grows bigger, pushing the walls of stone until they break and let it free. And it's angry. It breathes walls of fire that stick even to stone, twisting it into funnels of hatred and destruction within its cage. Some nights, Kyle survives until morning. Others, he's not so fortunate. Those are the nights he's jolted awake by his insides turning, bearing a cold sweat and lack of breath. If he was lucky, his stomach would stay in place, but most mornings made good use of the bucket he had learned to keep by his bed.

These were the mornings he'd sit in bed for hours until the sun rose, calming himself from the pressing issue of what these dreams could mean. The more times he died, the stronger his pull to leave home became. His heart and feet were persistent in trying to get him off of the farm. They'd send him wandering into town whenever midday troubles occupied his mind, or out into the forests following the sunset. He didn't know what any of it meant or why, but he knew he had to leave. There was something he had to do, not just for himself but for everyone. For his family, for his sister, for his home and the homes of strangers. Something horrible was stirring beneath the ground, he could feel it. He could see it. The earth was in distress and it was asking for help. Leaving home wouldn't be easy, he had no idea how he'd tell his family what was going on, but he had to leave. They weren't stupid people, they had noticed something was wrong, but he had nothing he could tell them before now.

He stayed for a few months longer, teaching Aria all he knew about the farm and monster care. For his own peace of mind, he taught her the basics of combat as well. If things were as bad as they felt, there was no way he could leave her defenseless. She would be all the family had for a while- just until he came back.  
"I'll be back," he promised her often. She would get angry at him for leaving, she would cry and scream until her eyes turned red and her face blue. He couldn't give her anything but his word, and it never helped her calm down. It hurt to see her so upset, but Kyle knew this was something he had to do. Whether he wanted to or not, whatever was going to happen was in his hands. "I'll write you letters every week."  
When the time came that he was ready to leave, Aria had accepted that he had to leave. She missed him even before he stepped out the door.

The family helped him gather his things- as much as he could reasonably carry- and said their goodbyes. He was sure to bring a pen and parchment, as if Aria would let him forget it, and all the food he could fit in his pockets.

They all knew it wouldn't last him but a day, Kyle had always had a large appetite, but it was all they could do for him now.

"Come home soon," his mother smiled sadly, standing by her husband.

"We'll be here when you get back," his father reassured.

"And don't forget to write!" Aria pointed a stern finger at him.

Kyle chuckled and raised his hands in surrender, "I won't, I won't! I'll write every week. And I'll be back, I promise. Take good care of the farm for mom and dad, okay, Aria?"

She rolled her eyes and stuck a hip out, "of course! What do you take me for, an orc?" She scoffed and crossed her arms. The attitude didn't last very long; her gestures dropped with sadness as she shifted to hug her arms around herself. "Just... Make sure you come back, okay? Like, next week."

He sighed, squatting down in front of her and smiling sadly, "I don't know about next week, but I'll be back. I have to find what I'm looking for. I don't know what it is, but it's really important. And I'm gonna come back the coolest brother in all of Norad!"

She sniffled, looking down to hide her face from him. "But you already are," her voice cracked and one of her hands shot up to her face to wipe a tear before it could fall, "you don't have to leave to do that. You can stay home with us and still be the coolest brother in Norad."

"... I know you don't understand, because I don't either, but I have to go. It's not just important to me, it's important to everyone that I find this thing. And as soon as I do, I'll come straight home and we can hang out again. You can show me all of the flowers you've grown and we can all go get cake at the inn! Doesn't that sound nice?"

She nodded reluctantly and wiped her face again, digging one hand into her pockets. "I grew you some flowers to take with you," she sniffed, pulling a woven flower bracelet from the pocket. "Mama says they'll keep you safe... S-So don't lose them, okay?"

Kyle smiled and accepted the gift, sliding it onto his wrist and picking her up into a hug, "I won't lose them, thank you, Aria. You're the coolest sister in all of Norad!"

She stuck her face in the crook of his neck and nodded, clinging tightly to him.

"... Wanna walk me to the gates?"

She nodded again, staying firmly in her place in his arms. He looked to their parents; his mother had started to cry as well. He took one of her hands and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." His mother nodded and sniffled, following her children outside alongside her husband.

They reached the gates, Aria still clinging tightly to her brother. He let her stay there for a few minutes longer, it would be a while until they saw each other again and he needed this as much as she did. Their father eventually pried her off of him with difficulty, letting his wife have a turn getting hugs.

"We always knew you were an Earthmate," she admitted in a whisper, "we didn't think anything of it... But I wish we had." She breathed shakily, trying not to start crying again, "all the time in the world together wouldn't be enough. Your father and I are very proud of you, no matter the outcome. You'll do something great for us all, but please... Come home safe."

He nodded, pushing back the tears that stung at his eyes. "Don't worry, ma. I'll give you a reason to be proud, and I'll make sure you're all safe... Even when I'm not home." He sniffled, patting her back and standing up straighter. "You take care of that old geezer I call Dad, alright? He'd lose his head if it wasn't attached!" His parents laughed and nodded.

"We'll look forward to your letters. See all of the world you can! And bring us back some souvenirs!" His father joked from a few feet away.

"All /you're/ getting is some wolf dung!" Kyle joked in return, enticing some laughter to lighten the mood. With the goodbyes done, he turned to walk away and waved. "Be good, Aria."

Her head shot up from her father's shoulder and she squirmed from his arms frantically, but Kyle had already started walking. Her father held onto her hand and her mother placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kyle!" She yelled, waiting until he until he turned around to yell again, but he never did.

\--

"I do not know who I am or where I came from. I only know that I have been wandering, searching for…something. But this town… Could this place be what I've been looking for? ... Wow, this place is nice. And these flowers are so beautiful."

"Oh, hello! I haven't seen you around Alvarna before. Who are you?"

"I... Don't remember."

\--

"Kyle, it's a girl! Oh, I'm so happy! What should we name her?"

"What about... Aria?"


End file.
